The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said Malaysia is considering adopting regulatory frameworks similar to those implemented in Australia and Canada which will ensure fair compensation with local media outlets. The MCMC recently chaired a discussion with Meta and Google to address challenges faced by online media and it has also scheduled a similar meeting with TikTok.
According to the statement, the consideration comes after Australia had passed the world’s first Mandatory News Media Bargaining Code which let Google and Meta make voluntary compensation agreements with news outlets which serves as an example of the importance of fair compensation. Similarly, Canada has Bill C-11 which aims to regulate streaming platforms and require them to support local Canadian content.
MCMC said its engagement alongside the Communications and Digital Ministry (KKD) with online platforms demonstrates its commitment to addressing digital market challenges. This includes the imbalance of income for Advertising Expenditure (ADEX) between digital platforms and local media to ensure fair compensation for news content creators.
MCMC added the effort goes beyond paying news creators and is the beginning of a revolution in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. KKD and MCMC acknowledge the importance of AI and it aims to implement rules of the road for its implementation for fair and wise practice. It said this includes plans to encourage fair competition, strengthen intellectual property rights, and protect consumers from online harms and privacy.
It is worth noting that Malaysia has yet to take concrete steps to address the growing concerns of online scam ads on Meta platforms. The MCMC called for intervention to punish platforms that allow scam ads and also announced that it is taking legal action against Meta for failing to tackle Facebook scam ads.
However, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said MCMC’s legal action to tackle Facebook scam ads is unnecessary as they have “positive” engagement with Meta which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Our neighbouring country Thailand has recently threatened to shutdown Facebook as Meta has repeatedly failed to take serious action against scam ads on its platform.
[ IMAGE SOURCE ]
